Arizona - My "Home" State

Cyd
Mar 17, 2020
3 min read

Arizona, my home state. Where my favorite man on the planet resides (my Grandpa). This was the perfect place to build #AlfredoTheVan and start our full-time #vanlife adventures. This post serves to share our thoughts, our favorite places and hikes, and some amazing pictures that attempt to capture our favorite Arizona memories.

I knew I’d love Arizona. I was born in Yuma and almost all of my mom’s family still lives throughout the state. I have such fond childhood memories of visiting my grandparents, playing in the pool with my brother, frying eggs on the concrete, learning to sew from my Grammie, painting the ranch fence at my Aunt and Uncle’s, riding horses, and—let’s face it—getting spoiled every summer while Mom and Dad worked across the country in North Carolina.

Carter has visited Arizona a few times, mostly around my family holiday gatherings. I will never forget the look on his face when he was asked to help handle the cattle at a roping at Aros Arena--my Aunt & Uncle's ranch. He wore tennis shoes and soccer pants because the blessed man didn’t own jeans or boots. I will save you from the explicitness, but in true Carter spirit, his fondest memory is related to a pregnant cow’s behavior in the cattle chute. And don't worry, Dad wouldn't let Carter on the farm unless he wore jeans/coveralls, so I did my best to force some country into my city boy. As I write, he happily sits across from me in dirty jeans and [hiking] boots.

Hiking in Arizona

I've always dreamed of living in Arizona. I am so glad we made it a reality for a few months. We were in AZ from November 2019 to February 2020, arguably the best time of the year weather-wise. The average highs were somewhere in the 60s and lows in the 40s with little to no rain. Perfect hiking and #vanlife weather.

I've always dreamed of living in Arizona.

Our first hike was the morning of Thanksgiving 2019, the day after arriving from our cross-country drive that started in St. Augustine, Florida (S/O to our STA fam—we miss and love y’all!). We hiked Picacho Peak, the steep mountain neighboring Aros Arena. Before GPS and interstates, Picacho Peak was used as a landmark for distant travelers, nestled between Tucson and Phoenix. This hike made us feel like inadequate hikers! The trek up, a mere 2 miles, packed in 2467 feet of elevation gain. This would turn out to be the most elevation climbed on a single hike during our time in AZ.

We hiked a lot, got to be much better hikers, and learned what we prefer—5-8 mi hikes with an average 10% grade. This is challenging enough to feel accomplished but not too taxing to enjoy the climb and views. We also like an occasional “short” hike (<3 mi) that packs in elevation with an average gradient of >20%. We enjoy hikes that take you to the top of a peak and those that take you around to various views along the way.

We find almost all of our hikes on the All Trails app, but never disregard the recommendations gathered from the hikers we meet along the way.

During our time in Arizona, we did 10+ hikes and many more nature walks around our camp sites. We hiked in Northern, Central, and Southern AZ. Our favorites were in Southern AZ, but we fell in love with Northern AZ and agree that we could live in the outskirts of the Sedona, AZ area. Below we share some of our favorite sights along the way! Tell us what you think!

Northern Arizona

Devils Bridge (5.0 mi / 650 ft elevation gain)